The US Environmental Protection Agency has been working diligently to clean up the Thanksgiving Day oil spill in the Shiawassee watershed (see previous post below). The size of the "Wade Road Oil Spill" is now estimated to be between 500-1000 gallons (up from an initial estimate of 300 gallons of oil).  The source of the spill has been identified and the responsible party has assumed all costs for the emergency response and cleanup. As of Thursday, December 3rd, these costs are more than $80,000.  The the US Department of Environmental Protection is overseeing the cleanup, which will continue until they determine it to be complete.

A contract crew of 25 people have been cleaning up about 3 miles of the Miner Drain in Owosso Township between Mason and King Roads. The waterway connects to the State Road Drain and then the Shiawassee River; however the oil was contained before it reached the River.  Clean-up has consisted of using absorbent booms and a vacuum truck to remove oil from the waterway, as well as an excavator to remove contaminated soil. Oiled vegetation has been removed by equipment and hand from several miles of the drain.  

The Friends of the Shiawassee River thank all the workers who given up their holiday weekend to protect the Shiawassee River.  We extend our appreciation to the local, state, and federal officials who have worked to contain this spill, learn about the source of the pollution to prevent a re-occurrence, and restore this portion of the Shiawassee watershed.